The invention reates to a frying pan with a pan body with a pan bottom forming on the underside a stand surface and on the upper side a frying surface, and a pan border facing upward surrounding the pan bottom, as well as with at least one depositing surface inside the pan border raised with respect to the frying surface and lying, in plan view, outside the stand surface, which depositing surface goes over a step into the frying surface.
In one such known pan as illustrated in International Design No. INT-GSM DM/000 080--like the formation of the so-called "water ship" for wood burning stoves--the lowered middle part and the part forming the frying surface of the pan are surrounded about its entire border by a depositing surface raised with respect to the lowered bottom, which depositing surface, in its part, is again bounded outward by a separate border wall. Thereby, there arises an extremely large radiating surface, through which too much heat is withdrawn from the pan up to the zone of the frying surface. Further, it is difficult to clean the pan, and the pan, as a consequence of its relatively great structural height is difficult to handle. In addition the an has a comparatively large space requirement.
A frying pan disclosed in German Utility Model DE-Gbms No. 74 14 971 has a pan bottom subdivided into segments by partitions, so that in one cooking utensil and on one stove flame several dishes can be prepared separately from one another. All the segments are located in the region of the bottom of the pan, which is determined by the fact that on its underside it forms the stand surface or the contact surface for the heating of the pan on the stove. Thereby there arises the disadvantage that all the segments are uniformly heated in the heating of the pan, and it is hardly possible to expose the food to be cooked to differentiated action of heat. In particular, it is hardly possible to place food in one segment in such a way that it is merely kept warm, while not further subjected to a frying or cooking process. Further, through the subdivision of the pan bottom into segments there is created individual segments which present narrow corners as well as a shape severely deviating from the centrally symmetrical form, which is troublesome for the operations usually encountered in cooking, for example, moving the food being cooked, stirring of the sauces and the like. The narrow corners also makes cleaning the pan difficult.
Underlying the invention is the problem of providing a frying pan of the type mentioned which is attractive in form in such a way that it is as compact and smooth-surfaced and thereby permits simple cleaning while providing a differing action of heat on the food being cooked in the zone or the frying surface and in the zone of the depositing surface or depositing surfaces.